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Let's celebrate the sights and sounds of Mexico as John B. deHaas and I
take a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three
Caballeros at EPCOT in Walt Disney World. Ride Audio Recorded
on October 27, 2016.

Today we head to EPCOT to experience the signature
attraction of the Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase, the Gran
Fiesta Tour Starring the There Caballeros! The guide map describes
this ride by saying, “Discover the sights of Mexico and the antics
of three feathered amigos on this boat ride.” There are no
age or height requirements for this attraction and the Thrill Level
simply describes this ride as a Slow Ride.

Before we go out and search for Donald Duck with
Jose and Panchito, here are five fast facts about this
attraction!

1. The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three
Caballeros opened on April 6, 2007, replacing the Mexico Pavilion’s
original attraction El Rio del Tiempo. The Gran Fiesta Tour
keeps the same layout as the original ride but adds animated film
sequences starring The Three Caballeros.

2. The addition of The Three Caballeros to
the ride marked the first time that Disney made the, somewhat
controversial decision, to add pre-existing characters into
attractions in the World Showcase at EPCOT. A decision that
has continued with Frozen Ever After in the Norway
pavilion.

3. The voices of the Three Caballeros are performed
by Tony Anselmo as Donald, Rob Paulson as José and Carlos Alazraqui
as Panchito.

4. The center section of the attraction, known
as the Festival of Children, features animatronics of singing and
dancing children very reminiscent of It’s A Small World. This
portion of the Gran Fiesta Tour is pretty much the same as it was
back when the ride was known as El Rio del
Tiempo.

5. On December 15, 2015, animatronics of the Three
Caballeros were installed in the show’s finale. The
animatronics were reused from the Magic Kingdom attraction the
Mickey Mouse Revue which was closed to make way for Mickey’s
PhilharMagic in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.

Now it’s time to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour.
Along for the ride is John B. deHaas and after we ride we will give
you our thoughts on this attraction. Also, this is a binaural
recording, so if you have headphones put them on now as we head to
EPCOT’S Mexico Pavilion to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour starring The
Three Caballeros.

About the Podcast

Ride along on one Disney fan’s quest to ride and review every attraction at the Disney Theme Parks. Hosted by Grant Baciocco, Jim Henson Company puppeteer and creator of The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd.